McDonald’s has launched a training and lifestyle website to offer its 67,000 UK employees access to GCSE-equivalent qualifications.
The Our Lounge site, launched yesterday (Monday), is designed to help train staff for national level 1 and 2 qualifications over a 12-month period.
It also offers information and advice on lifestyle issues, such as improving communication skills and becoming a parent.
David Fairhurst, vice-president (people) at the fast-food retailer, said every employer had a responsibility to provide basic skills training to their staff.
“We can do more to ensure that no-one is held back by not having the basics of literacy and numeracy,” he said. “The website brings a new convenience to learning and removes the barrier of travelling to college.”
The project is part of the chain’s £14m annual training spend, and has been piloted in 20 restaurants since July.
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McDonald’s estimates that up to 1,000 workers will eventually sign up to the training programme, but only 22 have enrolled so far.
The launch follows a research report, published earlier this year by the company, which found a clear link between training and employee engagement.
